A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Many parents have difficulty when their kids hit preadolescence, as this is a major period of physical and cognitive change. In particular, a child's increased independence and need for distance from their parents can be a real struggle to adapt to. This is also a time when children need a good relationship with their parents [...]
"When you find other people going through it, it's like realising you belong on Earth once more." That's how Graham Panther, a mental health advocate and consultant, describes finding people who, like him, live with "big feelings". "It's feeling like you belong on Earth, even when you feel awful," Mr Panther said. In his early [...]
Owen feels compelled to make himself tiny, standing small in the corner with his arms folded while the family watches a movie. And he apologizes — a lot. This summer, as the 12-year old and his little brother Craig, 10, were gathering fallen apples near their home in the Salt Lake suburb, Craig decided to [...]
Our lives can easily fill up with, well … life. When everything on our to-do lists feels both urgent and important, pleasure reading can seem a luxury. For many children and teens, as their lives get busier with new obligations and increasing distractions, the idea of curling up with a book can appear to be [...]
Life’s too short to sweat the small stuff isn’t it? It’s what adults often say to each other. But a child’s attitude to the ‘small stuff’ is often a different matter. This is an observation that a dad made: Children do ‘sweat the small stuff.’ There’s no doubt, children can get very emotional very quickly [...]
www.raisinglifelonglearners The Making Caring Common Project, done at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, came up with some interesting findings that seem even more relevant given that World Random Act of Kindness Day is just around the corner on November 13th. According to the study, a large majority of youth across a wide spectrum [...]
The media is highly criticized for contributing to body image issues in adolescents. However, a study out today in Psychology of Women Quarterly finds a different source for body dissatisfaction among young girls: older girls at school. A research team led by Jaine Strauss, Professor of Psychology at Macalester College, surveyed 1,536 5th through 8th-grade female students attending schools [...]
I have a saying that my teaching colleagues will be able to appreciate. Interesting kids have very interesting parents. I spent the past two years resisting invitations from schools to give parent talks. My reasoning was that whilst after 15+ years teaching, I can speak with some authority with regards to working with school students, [...]
Girlfriend trifecta – three positive reviews and big ticks for global perspective in May issue My last two reviews (‘Excellent advice on helping a friend with an eating disorder and dealing with stalking’, ‘Pressures to sext and give oral sex’) have been almost entirely positive. That’s pretty unusual. The May issue makes this a trifecta. Whenever [...]
Why is it that sporting clubs are working to reduce alcohol use and workplaces are developing alcohol management programs, however parents and teachers insist on drinking alcohol when they attend a function at their child’s school? Comments received to date: As the parent of two school children at a Catholic primary school I recently put [...]
